Befitting the title, Heaven & Earth also contains Washington’s most explicitly spiritual material since 2008’s underground record Light of the World; if more churches played songs like “Journey” and “Will You Sing” on Sundays, those sanctuaries might be standing room only.

One is written by bandmate trombonist Ryan Porter and there are new arrangements for the Kung Fu tune “Fists of Fury” and Freddie Hubbard’s “Hub Tones.” Washington produced and arranged all selections except Porter’s “The Psalmnist.”It appears that this, like its predecessor, is a concept album but the music on both halves is much more similar than different.